A Next-Generation
High-Speed Rail service could be successfully developed in the Northeast with
trains operating up to 220 mph on a new two-track corridor resulting in a trip
time of about three hours between Washington and Boston, cutting in half or
better the current schedules, according to a concept plan released by Amtrak.
Trains are nothing new in
central Ohio, but they are poised to play am increasing role in the economy, the
Columbus Dispatch reports. Beginning Sept. 9, Norfolk Southern will use the
revamped Heartland Corridor line, taking advantage of what the company calls
the "single biggest railroad engineering project in modern history."
It included enlarging tunnels through mountains and raising bridges in other places.
On or around August 25,
Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project crews will dramatically shift the eastbound
lanes south into parking lots of car dealers and other retailers from the Best
Buy area west to the Dulles Toll Road (Route 267) interchange. This shift will
create the large construction zone that is needed in the median of Route 7 to
build the future Tysons West Metrorail Station. This change involves both the
Westwood Center Drive/Tyco Road and Spring Hill Road intersections where
pedestrians and drivers will need to pay special attention to new lane patterns
and the wider Route 7 crosswalks.
Hatch Mott MacDonald recently hired key, high-level
staff members at several of its U.S. office locations. Frank Facciolo joins
Hatch Mott MacDonald’s New York City office as a senior project manager for
rail/transit projects and has 21 years of experience in infrastructure,
transportation, and design-build projects in the N.Y. Metropolitan area and in
California. John Cross joins HMM’s Tallahassee, Fla., office as a senior project
manager with more than 30 years of professional engineering experience in both
the private and public sectors.
Dulles Corridor Metrorail
construction is visible all along the 11.7-mile alignment of Phase 1 of the
23-mile extension of Metro’s existing Orange Line. By early fall, construction
of all five stations between East Falls Church and Reston will be under way.
Crews are building aerial bridges to carry tracks across the westbound lanes of
I-66 near the Dulles Connector Road (Route 267) where the rail extension will
tie into the Orange Line. There is ongoing bridge construction at Pimmit Run and
Magarity Road. Pile driving activities will continue through September all
along the Connector Road as tracks are built at grade level in most areas.
Nearly 1,000 CSX
Transportation engineering employees completed the annual coal route
maintenance project the week of July 5. Track maintenance teams worked their
way across the Appalachian coal route, which includes Kentucky, West Virginia,
Tennessee, New York, North Carolina and South Carolina. Demand for coal remains
strong, and on a typical day as many as 50 trains make their way across this
important corridor.
During the recession in the
early 2000s, U.S. freight railroads slashed spending and services. When
business revived, they were roundly criticized for bottlenecks and delays, The
Wall Street Journal reports. This time around, the railroads have continued to
spend heavily, plowing more than $20 billion into capital improvements to widen
tracks and tunnels, upgrade cars and engines and enhance their technology.
For weeks, a giant yellow
and blue truss has been in place along the Dulles Connector Road (Route 267)
near Route 123 where the trains will move from the Connector Road to the
northwest side of Route 123. That truss weighs about 366 tons and is now being
used to lift huge concrete segments into place to make the spans between piers
that will create the aerial bridges for support tracks across Tysons Corner.
Those piers have been built along Route 123 and in the middle of the Dulles
Connector Road.
Eleven rail projects will
restore or expand rail service and enhance safety in 10 counties with a $12.9-million
state investment from PennDOT’s Rail Freight Capital Budget/Transportation
Assistance Program, Governor Edward G. Rendell said.
Sonoma-Marin Area Rail
Transit (SMART) is an overwhelmingly popular rail initiative in Northern
California, according to an article in The American Surveyor. Measure Q had an
amazing 70-percent support of the two-county (Sonoma-Marin) SMART District.
Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB)
is celebrating its 125th year as a New York City-based international
engineering giant. In 1885, William Barclay Parsons established a consulting
engineering practice at 22 William Street in Lower Manhattan. Since then, PB
has continued to play leading roles on transportation, power, buildings, and
environmental projects throughout the world. Today, the firm is a strategic
consulting, planning, engineering and program/construction management
organization with approximately 14,000 employees in 150 offices on six
continents.
Since the Federal Transit
Administration’s approval of $900 million in "new starts" funds to
complete the financial package for construction of Phase 1 of the Dulles
Corridor Metrorail Project in northern Virginia in March 2009, construction has started all along
the 11-mile alignment from East Falls Church to Reston. More than 95 percent of the
construction of manholes and duct banks necessary for relocating the 21 utilities
in the Route 7 alignment area has been completed. Some overhead power lines
have been permanently removed and utility crews are now working in those
manholes underground to connect the new lines.
Having been largely shut
out of federal high-speed rail funding, New York transportation officials are
turning their attention to a handful of rail projects that did win federal
support – including the first tangible piece of the long-sought high-speed
passenger rail corridor across upstate New York, the Rochester Democrat and
Chronicle reports.
Metropolitan
Transportation Authority Chairman and CEO Jay H. Walder unveiled a new and
dramatically simplified Website that offers the MTA’s 8.5 million daily
customers access to better organized and far more detailed information about
their daily commute.
Amtrak
says it is ready for an exciting 2010 with major projects and new initiatives
that will benefit passengers, increase service, rebuild infrastructure, and put
America’s railroad at the center of intercity and high-speed passenger rail
development and expansion.
With a goal of speeding
freight between East Coast ports and the Midwest, CSX Transportation has
undertaken what it calls the National Gateway project – an $842-million
public-private upgrade of rail infrastructure to accommodate double-stack
container cars, The State Journal in Huntington, W.Va., reports.
NJ TRANSIT BOARD ADVANCES PORTAL BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT
Final engineering and design work will begin on a pair of
new bridges over the Hackensack River that will increase capacity, flexibility
and reliability for rail customers traveling into and out of New York.
Under a contract amendment approved today by the NJ TRANSIT
Board of Directors, the corporation is advancing toward construction of the Portal
Bridge Capacity Enhancement project, a crucial link between Kearny and Secaucus
on the Northeast Corridor that will replace the 99-year-old Portal Bridge.
The board also authorized a contract for construction management
services.
"This project will provide an essential upgrade to our core
capacity and positions NJ TRANSIT to efficiently accommodate growing ridership
for decades to come," said NJ TRANSIT Chairman and Transportation Commissioner
Stephen Dilts.
The new bridges will offer five tracks – three more than the
current bridge – providing the capacity to take full advantage of the
additional capacity into and out of New York that the Mass Transit Tunnel
project will create. The complementary bridge and tunnel projects will
eliminate two bottlenecks for NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak customers.
In addition, the new fixed bridges will provide greater
reliability by eliminating the need for a movable span. The new bridges
will be built high enough above the river – 50 feet above mean high water – to allow
ships to pass underneath with none of the bridge opening and closing operations
that create delays for rail customers.
"The current bridge is functionally obsolete and expensive
to maintain," said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Richard Sarles. "This
project will eliminate a chokepoint for hundreds of trains and thousands of
customers each day."
About 350 NJ TRANSIT trains operate across Portal Bridge
each day, carrying about 150,000 customers. Another 30,000 Amtrak
customers cross the bridge each day. Amtrak owns the bridge and is
working jointly with NJ TRANSIT on the replacement project.
The Board authorized a $69.7 million amendment to an
existing contract with Portal Partners Inc. of Audubon, Pa. for final
engineering and design and an $18 million contract to AECOM-STV Joint Venture
for construction management consultant services.
A contract with Portal Partners Inc. for final engineering
for early action components was approved by the Board in July, 2009.
Construction of early action items, such as utility
relocation, is expected to start by mid 2010, with some heavy project
construction including access roads, platforms and piers to start in the
fall.
The entire project, estimated to cost about $1.7 billion, is
expected to be completed in 2017. A combination of state and federal
sources is expected to provide funding.
FIRST TUNNELING CONTRACT AWARDED FOR MASS TRANSIT TUNNEL
PROJECT
The NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors today approved the first
major tunneling contract for the $8.7 billion Mass Transit Tunnel, the nation’s
largest public transit project that will double commuter rail capacity between
New Jersey and New York.
The board authorized the award of a $583 million contract to
a joint venture of Barnard of New Jersey and Judlau Contracting Inc. of College
Point, N.Y., the lowest of three bidders. The contract covers
construction of one of the project’s three tunnel segments, a mile-long segment
in Manhattan.
"By improving this critical transportation corridor, we are
ensuring that our tunnels remain a source of economic strength and mobility for
New Jersey and the region," said Governor Jon S. Corzine. "This contract
will provide an immediate boost to our economy with the Manhattan and Palisades
tunnel segments expected to generate approximately 1,000 jobs and the Mass
Transit Tunnel project as a whole creating many more jobs over the next several
years."
NJ TRANSIT expects to receive bids for the Palisades tunnel
segment within weeks, followed by the third and final Hudson River
segment.
The Manhattan tunnel segment is part of an overall project
to build two new single-track commuter rail tunnels under the Hudson River,
doubling capacity of the two-track tunnel that was built 100 years ago, which
today operates at its functional capacity. The other main feature of the
project is construction of an expanded New York Penn Station specially designed
to handle the customer surges associated with a commuter railroad.
"This project positions NJ TRANSIT to respond effectively to
the demands of New Jersey residents for 21st-century transportation options
that decrease our reliance on fossil fuel while improving the environment,"
said Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Chairman Stephen Dilts.
The project is being built by NJ TRANSIT in partnership with
the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
"This is a major project that helps ensure we have the
capacity to meet the growing demand for public transportation," said NJ TRANSIT
Executive Director Richard Sarles. "It benefits residents throughout New
Jersey by creating operational flexibility system-wide, as well as
opportunities for convenient, one-seat rides to and from New York for customers
on ten of our 12 commuter rail lines."
The additional commuter rail capacity provided by the new
tunnel will remove an estimated 22,000 vehicles from regional roadways each
day.
The project is expected to generate and sustain 6,000 jobs
annually in peak construction years and create 44,000 permanent jobs after
completion.
Contract Details
The Manhattan tunnels segment will be constructed under a
design-build contract that includes final design and construction of rail
tunnels that will extend a distance of approximately one mile from a shaft at
Twelfth Avenue and 28th Street in Manhattan.
Construction will begin early next year, and is expected to
continue through late 2013.
The contractor will construct a 160-foot diameter access
shaft on the western edge of Manhattan, and then bore 16,500 feet of tunnels
averaging more than 120 feet beneath the surface to a new expansion of Penn
Station under 34th Street between Eighth and Sixth avenues.
The twin tunnels will be located an average of 120 feet below
street level and will proceed diagonally northeast then eastward and split into
four tunnels to maximize train movements in and out of the expanded New York
Penn Station as the tunnels approach 34th Street.
The contractor will perform the excavation using two tunnel
boring machines (TBM’s), massive equipment units that cut through rock and
other material to form tunnels that are each about 27 feet in diameter. The
total length of the TBM-bored tunnels included in this contract segment is
16,500 feet.
The Mass Transit Tunnel will double service capacity to 48
trains per hour during peak periods from the current 23 trains. Twice as
many passengers will be able to be accommodated, from 46,000 each morning peak
period now to 90,000 in the future. The project also will also create
transfer-free, one-seat rides for travelers on 10 of NJ TRANSIT’s 12 rail
lines.
The Port Authority is contributing $3 billion toward the
Mass Transit Tunnel project cost, while the federal government will contribute
$3 billion under its "New Starts" transit funding program. Another $2.7
billion will come from a combination of other federal funds, including stimulus
and clean air funding, as well as the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s congestion
mitigation contribution.
NJ TRANSIT BOARD ADVANCES SOUTH JERSEY TRANSPORTATION
PROJECTS
The NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors today advanced several key
South Jersey transportation initiatives, including a study to evaluate
improvements to the Atlantic City Rail Line and an agreement with the Delaware
River Port Authority (DRPA) that will provide funding for a study of the
proposed extension of light rail to Glassboro.
In addition, NJ TRANSIT is taking the lead on a
Gloucester-Camden-area Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) study to examine the congested
corridor southeast of Camden along routes 55, 42 and 676. The agency is
also partnering with the DRPA for the design and construction of a new NJ
TRANSIT bus loading area across from the Walter Rand Transportation Center.
"Today’s Board actions advance transit initiatives involving
all three NJ TRANSIT travel modes in southern New Jersey," said NJ TRANSIT
Executive Director Richard Sarles. "We are pleased to work with the
Delaware River Port Authority to improve access to public transportation in
this region."
Atlantic City Rail Line Operations Analysis Study
The Board authorized a $735,000 contract with LTK
Engineering Services of New York, NY, for a study to identify Atlantic City
Rail Line infrastructure improvements to accommodate potential service
expansions in the future.
Today, the Atlantic City Rail Line is primarily a
single-track railroad with a limited number of passing tracks. The study
will look at the impact to the line and infrastructure needs resulting from
increased service frequency, faster trip times and additional stations.
Among the items to be evaluated are the projected ridership
impact of the opening of the Pennsauken Transit Center and proposals for new
stations in Woodcrest and at the Atlantic City Airport.
Camden-Glassboro Light Rail Agreement
Another item advanced by the Board today will provide for
the funding of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed light
rail system between Camden and Glassboro. The Board authorized an
agreement with the DRPA, by which NJ TRANSIT will fund up to $8,954,000 for the
preparation of the EIS.
In May 2009, the DRPA recommended that diesel light rail
service be advanced from Camden to Glassboro within the existing Conrail
right-of-way. The light rail system would serve 13 new stations between
the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden and downtown Glassboro.
Gloucester-Camden Bus Rapid Transit
Today the Board also authorized a $750,000 contract with
AECOM USA, Inc. of Newark, NJ, for a study to evaluate bus service improvements
along the congested Route 55/42/676 highway corridor that connects suburban
Gloucester and Camden counties with the City of Camden and Philadelphia.
The study will identify and evaluate a range of capital and
operating bus improvement options, including BRT, to improve the quality and
reliability of bus service in an area that is subject to significant traffic
congestion and delays during peak periods. BRT relies on a combination of
strategies to improve service, including the use of dedicated bus lanes and
traffic signal prioritization technology.
This study and the Atlantic City Rail Line Operations
Analysis study are part of a broader evaluation of transportation improvements
advanced by the DRPA in 2008.
Walter Rand Transportation Center Bus Loading Area
Under a second agreement with the DRPA authorized by the
Board, the DRPA will fund $3 million for the design and construction of a loading
area for NJ TRANSIT buses at the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden.
As part of the project, NJ TRANSIT will design and construct
a new bus loading area with a canopy, lighting, closed-circuit cameras, public
address system and signage. The project also includes repaving and
streetscape improvements on Broadway and the adjacent plaza areas.
The project will enhance pedestrian convenience and safety,
improve bus circulation and allow for more efficient boarding and alighting of
buses. It will also improve connectivity for customers transferring
between buses, the River Line and the PATCO High-Speed Line operated by the
DRPA.
Beneath a busy interchange
on top of the highest point in Tysons Corner, Va., crews are mining a tunnel
that will carry the Dulles Corridor Metrorail tracks from Route 123 to Route 7.
Working two 12-hour shifts per day, crews began tunnel construction, using the
New Austrian Tunneling Method to mine the first of two tunnels, the outbound
segment. Construction will start on the inbound tunnel in the coming months.
IBM said the Long Island Rail Road will deploy IBM Maximo
software to manage and maintain approximately 1,180 rail cars, locomotives and
their associated components to improve operations and passenger safety. As part
of a project, expected to be completed in 2012, IBM will assist the LIRR in
expanding its asset management system to include facilities, bridges, tunnels
and linear assets such as rail.
A $659-million railway-tunneling
contract has been won by a joint venture comprised of Granite Construction
Northeast, Traylor Bros. and Frontier-Kemper Constructors, according to International
Construction.
The contract was awarded
by New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Capital Construction
company and involves building the Queens bored tunnels and structures for Long
Island Rail Road’s East Side Access project in New York.
